Cancer Telethon breakfast raises $3,329

The crowd was steady at the VFW Hall in Spring Valley during the Cancer Telethon breakfast put on by the VFW and its auxiliaries, American Legion and Kiwanis.

A total of 303 meals were served, raising $3,329 for the Cancer Telethon, during a breakfast at the VFW Hall in Spring Valley Sunday, Jan. 20.

The special meal was a joint project of VFW Post 4114 and its auxiliaries, American Legion Post 68 and Spring Valley Kiwanis. Mark Cummings, president of the VFW men's auxiliary, organized the meal, which has been running six years as a joint undertaking and 10 years overall.

The breakfast, consisting of all-you-can-eat eggs, pancakes, french toast, sausage and biscuits and gravy, had a real steady flow, said Cummings, who added that, as always, there were plenty of volunteers on hand to serve the meal.

Although the VFW has breakfast for the public on a regular basis, "this is the big one," said Cummings, and it is the only breakfast for which he solicits donations from local businesses. Alco, Dollar General, Sunshine Foods, Kwik Trip, Spring Valley Greenhouse, Ody's Country Meats, T. D. Fetterly Construction, First State Bank Minnesota, Home Federal Savings Bank, First National Bank and Security State Bank all made donations to help out.

"Without them, we couldn't do it," said Cummings. "It's a great community. I grew up here in town and they've always come through as long as I've known."

The Cancer Telethon in Rochester has been running for 59 years, making it the longest-running local telethon. The money raised goes to cancer research.

Although this is the largest breakfast the local organizations puts on, Cummings noted that they will be holding a breakfast on April 14 for the Fisher House Foundation, which provides free or low-cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers.